Rain has been called the elixir of life. Water from the rain sustains us and all living things. Most people aren’t indifferent to a rainy day. Sometimes we love it and sometimes we hate it. How much do you know about rain beside it’s wet?
In recognition of spring, one of the rainiest seasons of the year, here are ten rainy-day facts in no particular order for you to ponder while you listen to these rain sounds.
1. Mawsynram in the Maghalaya State of India is officially the rainiest place on Earth. It receives an average of 11,971 mm of rainfall each year.
2. Antarctica is the driest place on Earth. It receives only 6.5 inches of rain or snow each year.
3. Did you know raindrops are shaped more like chocolate chips than tear drops? Depending on the size of raindrops (0.1 to 9 to 10mm in diameter), their shape varies. Cloud droplets, the tiniest raindrops, are round while the largest raindrops are shaped like parachutes. Raindrops of 10mm are the largest ever recorded. They occurred in Brazil and the Marshall Islands in 2004.
4. Rain usually falls slowly to Earth at a speed of between 18-22 miles per hour. If the shape of the raindrops didn’t cause atmospheric friction to slow it down, it would hurl to the Earth at incredible speeds injuring people and doing extensive damage.
5. Petrichor is the name for the way the earth smells after it rains. It’s created when geosmin (a chemical odor released from bacteria in the soil) mixes with plant oils discharged from the soil during a rainstorm. Rain is odorless.
6. Every minute, a billion tons of rain falls on the Earth.
7. People often say it’s raining cats and dogs, but in Honduras between May and July hundreds of live fish fall from the sky when it rains. The city of Yoro is home to the annual Rain of Fish Festival.
8. In the Kottayam region of Kerala, sufficient dust can mix with the rain to create colored rain which looks like blood. Yellow, black, and green downpours have also been reported.
9. In the desert nation of Botswana, rain has such an important economic impact that its currency is called “pula” the Setswana word for rain.
10. Grass looks greener after it rains because raindrops contain dissolved nitrogen that comes from the air. It’s free fertilizer.
https://ohfact.com/interesting-facts-about-rain/
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/rain/facts-about-rain